Life History Secrets Of Feral Hogs

According to the Missouri Department of Conservation feral hogs’ life history explains why they have become such a big problem so fast.

“They are prolific, adaptable, omnivorous, gregarious, far-ranging and hardy. First, feral hogs reproduce nearly as prolifically as rabbits. Breeding occurs at any time of the year when abundant food is available. Females can begin breeding in their six month of life and produce two litters of 4-10 piglets every 12-15 months. This level of reproduction can double a feral hog population in 4 months.”

Interestingly, the young are usually born with a 1:1 male to female ratio with animals traveling in family ground known as “sounders”. This usually consists of a couple of sows and their young although some younger boars sometimes travel with them. Mature boars are loaners are can become extremely territorial.

A study entitled “Radiotelemetry Studies of Feral Hogs in South Carolina” by  Joseph C. Kurz, R. Larry Marchinton shed some interesting light on hog movement in relation to season and sex.

“Movement patterns and behavior of feral hogs) were studied in the Upper Coastal Plain of South Carolina. Seven hogs (four boars and three sows) were radio-tracked for periods ranging from 1 to 10 months. One hundred fifty-two 24-hour tracking periods and 2,021 radio and visual locations were obtained on these individuals. Home ranges of the five hogs most intensively studied varied from 304 to 1,975 acres with a mean of 979 acres.”

“Two sows that gave birth while being tracked had much smaller ranges (42 and 74 acres) during the farrowing period. Seasonal shifts in range were exhibited by two boars and were apparently related to changes in food availability. Distances between extreme locations during 24-hour periods averaged 0.69 mile for boars and 0.38 mile for sows. No significant differences were found between daily movements of boars and sows except late in pregnancy when a highly significant reduction in the sows’ movements occurred. Hogs had diurnal activity cycles from October through May, but nocturnal movement significantly increased during the summer. There was also significantly more movement on moonlit nights than on dark nights.”

Feral hogs are opportunistic breeders and can reproduce any time of year and in ideal conditions sows will give birth to two litters a year with piglet survival typically high.

An old adage among wildlife managers is that sows give birth to 12 piglets and 13 survive. A number of predators will kill young pigs including coyotes and bobcats, but in mountain lion country they are the main predator. When adults the chief predator of hogs are humans with large boars facing no other danger besides those from man.

A big part of the hog’s key to survival is they eat anything and base their diets on seasonal availability. During fall they will out compete deer and turkey for acorns and other mast crop and much of the year feed on grasses, roots, fruits, mushrooms and virtually any kind of agricultural crop. They will even eat animal matter ranging from earthworms they root up to snakes, carrion and live animals.

The American Sheep Industry Association has been pushing for the control of feral hogs due to research conducted on the damage they do to sheep around the world.

“Feral swine are well documented as significant predators of lambs in Australia where 4 to 20 million feral swine exist. Feral swine prey on a variety of other livestock including goats, newborn cattle, and exotic game. Animal matter typically makes up only a small percentage of their diet, but considerable economic loss can occur from livestock depredation. In Australia, the greatest losses occur in sheep (wool and meat loss) and cattle production. In the semi-arid rangelands of Australia, losses of newborn lambs from feral swine predation have been as high as 32 percent, with a multiple-year average loss of 19 percent,” they reported.

“Predation typically occurs on lambing or calving grounds, possibly because of the attraction of afterbirth and fetal tissue. Occasionally, livestock giving birth are killed and fed upon. Predation occurs throughout the age classes for sheep and goats, but newborn or immature animals are usually targeted. In fact, feral swine preyed upon twin lambs on average 5 to 6 times more than single lambs. This is likely attributed to twin lambs being smaller and weaker than their single counterparts and the divided vigilance of their mother.”

There is also significant evidence of hogs causing major problems for ground nesting birds. In a study conducted by the Texas Agricultural Extension Service and Soil Conservation Service, feral hogs, at 28 percent, were the most often identified predator in one area. They concluded feral hogs could have a negative effect on the nesting success of quail, which have had major population problems in the Lone Star State.

As you can see feral hogs are highly adaptable with a varied diet, making them seriously difficult to manage and control.

Chester Moore

@thechestermoore on Instagram